Farmer Don: In His Own Words

[MegaTmarshall]

If bugs die from GMO crops & sprays then why should people eat it???

[DackIsBack]

The solution is smaller crops...

Grow Your Own Food.

[san123blue]

I don't mind having some worms or insects in my vegetables . As long as it not sprayed . Also farmers save big money if the don't spray their crops.

[kirbyraid5]

"you can't have the best of both worlds" Hanna Montana disagrees...

[metaspherz]

Fact is just because the package says organic is NOT a guarnatee that it wasn't sprayed with something! Many organic growers use organic pesticides to kill the insects infecting their crops. Earwigs attacked my corn this year so I used a mixture of insecticidal soap (made from fatty acids & plants), garlic, lime juice, hot pepper sauce & strained before adding it to water in a spray bottle. My garden is small so it was easy to use. but acres of corn needs something more than a few spritzes.

[ispyaspy]

Fuck Monsanto.

[rikray1]

I hate using chemicals on fruits and vegetables. Generally the worms attack the top portion of the corn....so it's really no big deal to clip off the top inch or so of the ear.

GO ORGANIC!!!!!

[HoboNetWeaver]

'Compost teas' are an organic farmer's best friend. If you want healthy plants and huge yields without using any chemicals - look up 'compost tea' on youtube.

[gringodeltoro1]

Watch the documentary: "We feed the world."

[LOLDISNEYLAND]

If your organic food is more expensive than non-organic, don't blame the farmers. Big supermarkets mark up the price of "speciality" items. The regular items will have good turn over so long as they are moderately priced. Either way supermarkets are EXPENSIVE and INEFFICIENT to buy food from. Go to your local independent grocery store and support the guys that want a free market and don't support the big supermarkets that want a monopoly so they can rip you off.

[willyD200]

There must be a way to have apples without spraying and a low worm count...how would the apple have lasted this long if not? If it was that susceptible wouldn't it have died out long ago before spaying became the norm? Usually nature takes care of itself , if all is healthy in the area....wouldn't one good insect protect the apple from it's pests? I'm not a tree/ fruit farmer, just curious and love eating apples which are at the top of the pesticide laden fruits.

[imacutube]

@willyD200 The presence of a worm in an apple is offensive to people. But to a tree, not so much. the worm is much less likely to prevent the apple's seed from hitting the ground somewhere than a person.

[thebestanswerever]

@willyD200 at one time apples would have been more resistant to bugs and disease, as we have hybridized and made new cultivars, the plant loses its natural defenses, say we keep breeding the sweetest apples, maybe it had a defense that tasted bad to the worm but now its not there because we focused on sweetening it up, or back then they werent planted in orchards so that the worms could find such a readily available source, they were scattered more,instead of jumping from one tree to the next

[bradford71us]

JUST CUT THE WORM OUT. ITS NOT "DIRTY"!! geez...where did you people grow up?? the city!?

[bradford71us]

im a farmer....and i have solved this problem. you use garlic/red pepper and onions all mixed as a spray. no worms, no animals. also, to get rid of worms you wash the produce in salt water before eating and it kills the worms.

[trandoductin]

If worms eat it, it must be good quality! Go Farmers Go! I love farmers! I don't know any! but i love them!

[ikambor]

he is right,,, and organic products are better for you,, but the product is much uglier ,,  but in the end it all comes out looking like shit, so why not eat whats better for you

[bradford71us]

@ikambor its UNNATURAL to eat foods that LOOK good/are perfectly round, etc.

[donze52]

I use bug repellent for my crops.

Nothing in the bug world eats wild Gourd leaves. so making a tea from it means you never have to use pesticides.

From McCook, NE.

[bradford71us]

@donze52 but can humans eat wild gourd leaves??

[donze52]

@bradford71us

would not advice it for sure, but as a bug repellent for your plants it can't be beat.

now some natives said it cured cancer, but no studies were ever made public.

[bradford71us]

@donze52 getting wild gourds sounds kinda hard. guess it depends on where ya live, huh?

[donze52]

@bradford71us Perhaps, so go to (donze52) I have 42 videos on sight.

Look for my gourd video. will give you photos and info,.

if you don't have them local I can ship you some for free if your in country to get you

started. sent out 1,100 packs last year.

[molemanlivesagain]

0:10, thats not a UFO, looks like a bird lol

[selectivlei]

ufo in the back round of begging of video lol ha is it or no ?

[americanisonoschifo]

truth is, the best fruit is the one that looks damaged or is rotten. my nonno (my other grandpa) makes wine in his cellar. he used to live in italy and moved here (US) when my mom was three. but he kept his vineyard in italy. he still makes wine in his cellar in the u.s. lately, hes been upset because the local produce (the only one available)has been bad. He says they pick the fruit to early. thats because novice makers pick up the grape and say," look how nice!"

[americanisonoschifo]

my nonno just laughs at them and says the usually "che schifo or tonto!" he goes right to the older grape (if he can find it) and picks the one thats almost rotten. truth is, thats the best because its the most sweet. In wine, the achol content comes from the grapes sugar. the more sugar the better. might i add, he doesn't touch his wine no chemicals. he doesn't even add yeast, he uses the one naturally from the air. the best way is the no chemical. better taste nonno doesnt touch a store bought

[americanisonoschifo]

u can tell, hes nos his stuff, a great man. in his garden, theres no chemicals. every year after the wine pressing, guess where they go? into the garden. no chemicals. my nonna saves everybit of peel, eggshell, bone, known to man and throws it into the garden. he uses old techniques from italy, now thats rare. tomatos wieghing 2 pounds from a heirloom plant passed down. each plant (all pruned with his special way) must get about at least, AT LEAST! 20lbs of tomatoes.

[americanisonoschifo]

now, having 35 plants plus all the ones that pop up from last years dropped seeds, u have a serious crop. did i mention the lettuce and string beans, and berries, perrsimmons, zucchini, eggplant, peppers, rabe, carrots, peaches, walnuts, figs, chesnuts, celerey, cucumbers, fennel, grapes, and i think thats about it. i need to learn more. i really need too.

[americanisonoschifo]

great man. reminds me of my grandfather.

he worked a small farm and knew his stuff. this guy knows his stuff.

[jtjjbannie]

Good man. Knows his shit.

[aunthill167]

I think this kind of thinking about organics is really just trying to fit organic food into the typical commercial farming that is going on today, when really true organic agriculture is really a move away from that completely.

If you have a bug problem, you either disc it under or spray it???? I guess if you are growing a monocrop those are your only options. Biodynamic farming would suggest you were lacking in some other area.

[benfamilyvideos]

That farmer is 100% right. If you don't want insecticide, you're going to have to contend with wormholes.

If the tomato has a wormhole, just cut off that part.

[quasim0do]

Every apple would have worm in it? I eat lots of organic apples and I've yet to find a worm in any of them.

Perhaps we don't have as much worms here in Sweden.

Organic apples aren't usually as big though, but they tend to taste a lot better.

[Stickyboogarz]

Was a handyman on an historic site in NJ and the apples there were heirlooms, very old trees and the fruit looked UGLY, kinda funny really but WOW, did they taste better. the pear tree we had too was daaayum good too.

[angelbe88]

I choose organic because I don't want to eat a bunch of toxic chemicals with my food. I would rather eat a worm than pesticides. We need more farmers to grow organic.

[ziberteck]

Yeah I shucked corn with a worm in a couple but all ya gotta do is rinse it off.

[tonytwotime]

alot of my plants have worms, when i begin to harvest. for everything but corn, i soak them in barrels of water. for corn, just pick them off/cut off/ the wormed spot. it doesnt bother me at all. im sure ive eaten a few worms, from my organic garden.

[boxa888]

@angelbe88 DO SOMETHING THEN!spread organic heirloom food seed far and wide, its called"johnny appleseed economics"or"gorrila gardens",spread more organic food. wake up everyone,do your part!!?IF YOU ARE angry,get seed and make a organic revolution your way.SPREAD THE ORGANIC SEED EVERYWHERE TELL OTHERS! INCREASE THE FOOD SUPPLY RIGHT NOW WHILE WE GOT TIME!! GROW VERTICAL GARDENS IF YOU DONT HAVE THE SPACE! START NOW!SOLAR ENERGY, HAM RADIO, WATER!

tell 10 OTHER PEOPLE RIGHT NOW!

[theveggiedude]

G'day everyone

I'm starting an e-mail newsletter, which I'm going to use to help teach people about vegetable gardening, tips and hints, pest managment and growing different types of vegetables/herbs etc. If interested, e-mail me at theveggiedude@ h o t m a i l . c o m, and let me know

Hope to hear from you soon

Cheers

Veggie Dude

[benfamilyvideos]

If you plant different varieties, you can avoid spraying. Chances are the local bugs will attack only one species of tomatoe, corn, or melon.

Three years ago I bought 10 kinds of tomatoe seeds online from different suppliers (some of the seeds were packed in Italy and Israel). I'm still growing from that pool of seeds and I've never had to spray them. I didn't even have to maintain them either.

This spring I'm going to grow more.

[benfamilyvideos]

For natural fertilizer, you can bury banana peels under the plants (that's what they do in Jamaica). Banana peels have potassium, which is a main ingredient in fertilizer.

In Spain, farmers use seaweed as fertilizer.

But you can also buy bags of composted manure in Home Depot for $3.oo a bag.

[gardenmagik]

Nice vid Farmer Don! HaHa... protein in the corn.....! heeheehee

[cdoc77]

I don't mind flaws, but I can guarantee you can grow organic tomatoes just as big and of the same if not better quality.

[cookingupastory]

What do mean by quality, cdoc77? Personally I'm looking for great flavor! And I think ones grown w/o pesticides just taste better.

[EnviroMonster]

I would rather have a bug,worm or flaw than a chemical.

[cookingupastory]

It's like home crafted items sometimes say 'this is a handmade item, some flaws may be noted'. That sometimes stands true for non-sprayed items too. I'm with ya.

[imacutube]

@EnviroMonster I don't disagree with your intention. But the language... Water, after all, is a chemical.

[2painfull]

ugly food can taste great! people will learn that over time as we wake up from our mass-production slumber. Also google "pigs, pesticides, orchards, michigan" to see how pigs can be used to control insects in apples.

[asihablabazaratustra]

No body could get a way from chemicals we all are a walking chemical plants LOL

[OrganicNetwkg]

This is important stuff. Thanks for posting.

[mskerripa]

everything looks so good !

thanks for shareing this video

[Denisehealthnut]

Thank you farmer for your honesty!

I freak out everytime I see bugs on my salads because I only buy organic from my local farmer's market, but I am a healthnut and can't stand chemicals so I deal with the bugs!!!

What kills the bugs instantly will take 5 or 10 or 20 years to kill me... no thanks!

leave out the spray, walk the fields and remove bugs by hand daily, good exercise!!!

[warlockboyburns]

isnt there an ultrasonic wave that drives worms insane?

[teresaveg]

Who cares if the fruits are not as big. Look at Americans...Do they look starving? Have you ever heard of portion control? That's a nice new concept...lol - I have to disagree with this farmer - he does not have to spray to get good apples. Nobody wants Frankenveggies and Frankenfruit anymore. I will take a semi-mushy organic apple anyday over a huge creepy looking one - that does not even look natural. I think they look creepy. Tobacco is also a natural repellent.

[speccwolf]

The best thing is to have chickens roaming, they also fertilize the ground and eat the pests

[LolVenassaLol]

^.^

[p65ls]

when i garden i take a big crap on the edge of the garden everyday and the bugs don't even think about corn.... lol

[MaryPinkHair]

But why do weight your tomatoes?

[lgnewdelhi]

I am posting from INDIA and here some use what they call herbal pesticides (chemical free). The farmers make it themselves on their farms just by boiling in water the leaves of the Indian NEEM tree. Usually it takes care of all types of pests. I am talking about organic stuff. Of course when farmers produce for supermarket chains they go heavy on the chemicals without a care. But they use herbal neem stuff for the stuff they grow for their own family kitchens(what they would eat themselves).

[pennilesscripple]

interesting point there...they take more care with the food that goes to those they love

yes neem has a lot of wonderful applications

there are a lot of ways to deal with the problems of pests

as another poster mentions, healthy soil goes a long way to keeping pests at bay

[doubletfarms]

there's sprays and pesticides that are chemical free! and can be used on certified organic fruits and vegtables!  We have a dealer in our neighborhood.

[cockshutt570]

A.P Thompson orchard in Virginia is totally organic and has excellent quality fruit and Cider.

[cockshutt570]

This guy needs to understand his soil. I grow organic vegetables and they don't have worms.If crops are healthy they rarely are attacked by bugs or disease.Crops grown on unhealthy soil will be unhealthy.Read "Minerals for the Genetic Code"

by Charles Walters for an understanding why the US food supply is supplying poor nutrition

[fabiolus2007]

Bugs fly and live in the soil, Its not all about soil quality.

Where do you grow your org veg? outside?

This year I did not spray my corn and was lucky getting away with it, my neighbor got invaded with worms this year.

Note: some type of pesticide aren't aloud in Canada all pesticides used, sold or imported into Canada are regulated by the Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA) of Health Canada through the Pest Control Products Act.

[lolanmb1]

People are concerned about worms and insects in their fruits and vegetables as they fear that the produce is contaminated by the insects or worms. Well truth is if we stop putting filth into our soils like spray's the worms have nothing to be afraid of! it's another which came first the chicken or the egg cycle only this time we have control

[nefertt]

sweet, i thought this was going to be a monsanto video... with their bullshit hidden propaghanda, but i was pleasantly surprised.

[ViperaLLAP2U]

Why not use pyrethrins? (from chrysanthemum plant) A natural spray that I use for my tomatoes and peppers and I never have a problem with bugs on my plants.

[boopy78]

Pyrethrins are not available on a large scale basis due to the expense. Also, many field grade pests are resistant to pyrethrins.

[toothache43]

I used to be an organic gardener and used Roetenone-a pyrethrim preparation.If I went back to gardening I would skip it.Pyrethrins have been implicated in neurological disorders just like

synthetics.

[bknegsnlzy]

my question is if u say that its organic what if the farm nextdoor sprays there crop and the wind drifts some of that crap over on yur so called organic produce,+ safeway sells produce from chile, who knows what they do over there

[ArturoSkandha]

This guy is moving in the right direction, but clearly misinformed...the only alternatives for an insect attack are NOT spray, or disk it in. This goes back to healthy, biologically active soils being the basis for healthy plants which do not attract pests.

[ziyasen]

alayınıza çakim...

[TheRealInvaderZim]

A common aspect of G/E seeds are that they are determinate and don't produce seeds that can be harvested for replanting.Seed stocks have been fine tuned by natural elimination over 100's of thousands of years and for mankind to think we can change it after a couple of hundred years of study-----maybe we are just a bunch of stupid monkey's

[SCODgreenhood]

Interesting *****

[buddhish]

Also, this would deal with insect related blemishes and holes, but then there's just your average wear and tear. Produce shouldn't be totally and completely flawless, as long as it's not moldy and as long as I don't end up with a worm in my mouth. Those little imperfections are what tell me that it's a real apple. A "perfect" looking, over-sized, genetically modified, industrial apple is as good as a plastic apple to me.

[buddhish]

There are plenty of techniques, some ancient some more modern, that can keep pests away from an organic crop. This guy just doesn't know these techniques. I commend him for his efforts to get away from using pesticides. But, if he's going to continue down that road, he should educate himself a little more.

[jcsrealty]

Heres what I use: ALCOHOL SPRAY: Use 70% isopropyl rubbing alcohol. Mix 1.5 cup alcohol per quart of water. Dilute, test, observe. GARLIC SPRAY: Soak 3 ounces of finely minced garlic cloves in 2 teaspoons of mineral oil for at least 24 hours. Slowly add 1 pint of water that has 1/4 ounce liquid soap or commercial insecticide soap mixed into it. Use at 1.5 tablespoons of mixture to a pint of water. If effective, try more dilute solution - to use as little possible.

[jeetsun]

The technology of Genetic Engineering (GE) is the practice of altering or disrupting the genetic blueprints of living organisms-plants, trees, fish, animals, humans, and microorganisms. Companies like Monsanto and Aventis wish to monopolize the worlds food and water supplies through GE.

Does anyone not see the apparent danger in this and the screwing around with DNA/Genes? Especially when it comes to the food that we eat?

[jcsrealty]

If you play with something to much what happens to it? You break it and or ruin it.. This makes it inaccessible to the common Joe and forces him to buy the new and improved version from you.. I really believe you got these rich, sneaky, fucks, just wanting so bad to ruin the air we breath so that they can fix that and then sell that back to us too... I'm disgusted!

[jeetsun]

The technology of Genetic Engineering (GE) is the practice of altering or disrupting the genetic blueprints of living organisms-plants, trees, fish, animals, humans, and microorganisms. Companies like Monsanto and Aventis are in the business of monopolizing the worlds food supply through the use of GE.

Does anyone not see the inherit danger of fucking around with DNA and genetics? Especially when it comes to our food?

[johnson01]

What German anarchist enviromentalist group has brainwashed you?

[jeetsun]

What irony.

[johnson01]

If you genetically engineer the crops not only do you keep the insects at bay, you enhance the quality of the nutrients inside the produce as well as increase their size while cutting cost's to the consumer.

The best of all worlds.

[TOOTHFAAIREE]

Yea, well, so far I can't really see anything bad about GE... So I'll agree with ya

[Vierotchka]

Actually, it has been proven that a number of genetically engineered foods are bad for the health, and can even be dangerous. Depending on the origin of the genes that have been spliced into the vegetable's or fruit's genes, it can contribute to antibiotics no longer being effective, or to causing deadly allergic reactions.

[TheRealInvaderZim]

Now we need to hear about chemical fertilizers-most corn growers use alot! and what happens with nitrogen rich runoff in the streams and lakes

[trementatis]

Korn rulez

[sensiblechic303]

if it's cheaper not to spray or use chemicals why does "organic" cost so darned much? it seems so silly. He's so right. We've grown accustomed to our produce looking perfect and no thought given as to how that happened.

[cookingupastory]

I, too, sensiblechic303, thot he had a good point about what most American food buyers expect...flawless. I know I've been guilty of this in the past, but as I learn about my food, and how it is grown, I recognize that blemishes can be a good thing.

[Tena46]

The reason Organic cost so much more is...The farmers have to hire more staff to keep the field free of weeds and to watch for infestations

[thebestanswerever]

@sensiblechic303 they cost more because they arent able to be bought in bulk the way the mass produced stuff is. if everyone started buying organic in walmart then that would be the norm and organic would be less than the other, its about supply and demand, right now the demand is not high enough for the farmer to go organic, if everytime the store got organic it sold out they would buy more, then the farmer would make more, and on down the line

[FlamingHound]

LOVE = Local Organic VEgan

[sandbarwillow]

Read 'Silent Spring' by Rachel Carson, and you'll learn that pesticides were derived from the same poisen gas that was used on "the enemy" during WWII.

[wrenbrrd]

I must be the odd one out... I don't mind worms (even half of one, lol!), spiders, etc. in my food. Good protein! And anyway, rather have that than chemies. All food was pesticide-free before 1946. I had an emergency C recently, & the ob said my insides look fantastic! I chalk it up to good, clean veggie eatin'!

[creationode]

The organics will not be as large? What is he talking about? You can spray with less harmful concoctions. You can plant within rows certain herbs to deny insects. Everything you can do with harsh fertilizers and sprays you can do with organics, and much higher quality food.

[ivegotanidea]

organic is the way. And you can have the best of both worlds, it just take knoledge of what you are doing. This world is based on the ying + yang factor if you properly introduce incects that eat pest you can control those worms. not 100% but loss of your "product" intern goes back to nature and the cycle will then start to repeat itself. hmm.

[Vasile3rd]

very cool

[WalkingthePlank28]

XDEDGDG ED/////////////

[paulvanvulpen]

why is this in the "entertainment" section??

[tongabear]

My experience was different; I thought it very interesting to hear commentary about the American consumer produce market from the perspective of a farmer and small business owner. I'm sorry you weren't entertained; in what category do you think the video should be listed?

[paulvanvulpen]

I'd say People & Blogs.

[cenarsystems]

Change & Experience

[fundymilk]

Organic farmers still spray, they just use organic sprays. For the first time ever I did organic gardening, never had so many tomatoes in my life! And WOW, were they ever yummy.

[akif922]

no organik. organik felan degil bee

[willberb]

Great job. Organic or not. If there are no earth worms LIVING in the SOIL then your ground is dead.

[cookingupastory]

Very good point, willberb!

[MieVitunIte]

Having eaten organic vegetables and tomatoes, i have to say that when eg. tomato grows ripe on the bush, not sprayed with preservatives under cold fluorescent light of warehouse - it has A TASTE, sweet juicy taste. Normal tomatoes just taste like... very watery catchup.

[cookingupastory]

Yes, MieVitunite, I have found my homegrown tomatoes to have such flavor! And the ones I find at the farmers market have been tasty too.

[mariecs1969]

interesting..thanks for sharing

[parrot201]

cool